Timur Bekmambetov Circles 'Ben-Hur' Remake; Plus Crazy Trailer for Flesh-Eating 'Squirrels'

American audiences may not have the most solid opinion of Russian director Timur Bekmambetov, based on last year's terrible Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, but at one point he really was a promising filmmaker. At least that was true back when he was helming the most expensive Russian movies ever in Day Watch and Night Watch, a pair of flicks that resembled our current superhero genre. But despite his less-than-inspiring run of late, studios seem to like him, and he may be up for MGM's big budget remake of Ben-Hur.

Deadline reports that Bekmambetov is in talks for the historical epic, adapted by Keith Clarke and based on Lew Wallace's 1880 novel Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ. The story will track the early years of Judah Ben-Hur and his childhood friend Messala, the latter betraying him and selling the former into slavery. Jesus Christ also factors into the story in some way, meeting Ben-Hur on numerous occasions in-between chariot races, togas, and stuff.

We'll see if a deal can get struck, but even if it doesn't, Bekmambetov has something just as silly cooking on the fire. You may recall during Cannes that he became attached to produce Squirrels, a film about flesh-eating squirrels wreaking havoc on a regular town due to a gas company destroying their natural habitat. While there's still no cast or a director, although producers swear A-listers are being sought, a sales trailer has emerged and it's pretty damned ridiculous. How can this not be on the SyFy Channel right after Sharknado? It wouldn't be surprising if Bekmambetov directed this trailer himself, for which he should be mildly ashamed.